WHILE there has been a lot of negativity since Colin Healy’s departure from Cork City, goalkeeping coach Anthony Fennelly says the focus now from everyone is to get a successful team back at City and believes Liam Buckley will help achieve this.

“Colin has left the club and we have to respect his decision and reasons but now as a group we all just need to be as professional as possible and get the club back winning games,” said Fennelly.

“I worked with Liam at St Pats when I was young and he was fantastic. He has amazing energy and desire to win games so I think he will take us in the right direction as a club and his experience in this league will be so important for us so I do think Dermot (Usher) made a great choice geting him in as sporting director."

Fennelly returned to the club in early January to replace Mark McNulty, who took up a role with the FAI and here Fennelly believes his experience will be a massive help to the young keepers coming through the club.

“Colin rang me looking to bring someone with my experience in to work with the Cork City first team keepers. 

"I wasn't planning on going back into full time football as I turned down the same job a year earlier at Dundalk but I knew Colin very well and it was hard to say no to someone like Colin.

“I like having a busy life as I'm a personal trainer at my own gym in Urban fitness. 

"And I have been working that with power gym in The Dean but the Manager Shane Fitzpatrick was fantastic to me and had no problem with me taking the Cork City role when it was offered to me.

“The days can be long but I love football. It has always been my life so it's great to be working with a fantastic club like Cork City and with Dermot Usher and Liam Buckley at the club, I know they both want us to be one of the top teams in the country and I'm sure they will leave no stone unturned to make that happen.

“With previous coaching experience at Cork City, Limerick, and with various International teams, I know I have a lot to offer to the squad. 

"This along with my playing career, has brought me back to working with great players and coaches at City.

“I currently hold a UEFA A goalkeeping and outfield licence while having the experience of playing professional football for 15 years.

“My role is to work with the first team goalkeepers and help the first team manager in anyway he needs me. 

"I am always keeping an eye out for the lads coming through the academy where there are some good lads. 

"Daniel Moynihan and Aaron Mannix come through and we also forget how young Jimmy Corcoran at just 21.

“It has been a tough start but that’s how football goes at times.

"We were unlucky when we brought Toby Oluwayemi in from Glasgow Celtic and we discovered he had a hip/groin problem and he had to go back to Celtic for treatment but we expect him back soon which is great as he is a top class young goalkeeper.

"Jimmy Corcoran is currently holding the shirt and he is a very honest lad and he would be the first to say he should have done better for some goals this season but the kid is just turned 21 playing premier division football. 

"He has so much to learn and experience but I do feel he is developing very well in fact the game against St Pat's at home was his best performance of the season and that’s the level we now expect of him.” 

Confident that City can stay up this year, Fennelly is quick to praise the work being done at underage.

“The talent is very good coming through and as you know we have had both the under 19 keepers in to play for the first team this year already and that shows the fantastic work Liam Kearney is doing in the academy. 

"In the first team Colin, Richie and Dec have also done tremendous work and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working onshore them. 

"Between us now we want to improve everything overall by keeping clean sheets, and score more goals. 

"We want us to push up the table and get back to winning games and build a decent squad to get Cork City back to where we belong challenging for leagues, cups and European spots.”